Yoga Sutras of Patanjali English (Page 4)

Contributed by Alamelu & C.L. Ramakrishnana. The philosophic systems of India are called Darshanas. The Sanskrit word Darshana means Perception. Six Darshanas, namely Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta, are referred to as the Orthodox, or Astika Darshanas, as they acknowledge the authority of the Vedas. In contradistinction, are the three systems Buddhism, Jainism and the Charvaka schools, referred to as the Unorthodox, or Nastika Darshanas, as they do not accept Vedic authority. - The Astika Darshanas agree that "Moksha", or emancipation from the Karmic cycle of rebirths, leading to identity with the Ultimate Reality, is the highest objective of existence...

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are in themselves exceedingly brief, less than ten pages of large type in the original. Yet they contain the essence of practical wisdom, set forth in admirable order and detail. The theme, if the present interpreter be right, is the great regeneration, the birth of the spiritual from the psychical man: the same theme which Paul so wisely and eloquently set forth in writing to his disciples in Corinth, the theme of all mystics in all lands. We think of ourselves as living a purely physical life, in these material bodies of ours. In reality, we have gone far indeed from pure physical life; for ages, our life has been psychical, we have been centred and immersed in the psychic nature. Some of the schools of India say that the psychic nature is, as it were, a looking-glass, wherein are mirrored the things seen by the physical eyes, and heard by the physical ears. But this is a magic mirror; the images remain, and take a certain life of their own...

Raja Yoga is the king of Yogas. It concerns directly with the mind. In this Yoga there is no struggling with Prana or physical body. There are no Hatha Yogic Kriyas. The Yogi seats at ease, watches his mind and silences the bubbling thoughts. He stills the mind, restraints the thought-waves and enters into the thoughtless state or Asamprajnata Samadhi, Hence the name Raja Yoga. Though Raja Yoga is a dualistic philosophy and treats of Prakriti and Purusha, it helps the student in Advaitic Realization of oneness eventually. Though there is the mention of Purusha, ultimately the Purusha becomes identical with Highest Self or Purusha, or Brahman of Upanishads. Raja Yoga pushes the student to the highest rung of the spiritual ladder of Advaitic realization of Brahman.

(+ additional commentaries) Athayoganushasanam - Now The Discipline Of Yoga. We live in a deep illusion; the illusion of hope, of future, of tomorrow. As man is, man cannot exist without self-deceptions. Nietzsche says somewhere that man cannot live with the true: he needs dreams, he needs illusions, he needs lies to exist. And Nietzsche is true. As man is he cannot exist with the truth. This has to be understood very deeply because without understanding it, there can be no entry into the inquiry which is called yoga.

This interpretation of Patanjali will thus reamin grounded in the non-dual context of yoga, rather than the assumption of intellectuals, academicians, ideologists, religionists, grammarians, westerner, modernist, and/or others of which far too much confusion, mental contrivances, needless complications, lack of relevance, deadness, bias, prejudice, obtuseness, and perverse interpretations of these sutras can be attributed. Almost any one can learn Sanskrit, but that is not sufficient. Even a Sanskrit grammarian unless they are adept in yoga will not understand the yoga ideas which are central to understanding these sutras. Understanding Sanskrit, English, and yoga is still not enough, for one has to understand the psyche of the Westerner as well as the Patanjali's milieu.

These lectures (Delivered at the 32nd Anniversary of the Theosophical Society held at Benares, on Dec. 27-30, 1907) are intended to give an outline of Yoga, in order to prepare the student to take up, for practical purposes, the Yoga sutras of Patanjali, the chief treatise on Yoga. I have on hand, with my friend Bhagavan Das as collaborateur, a translation of these Sutras, with Vyasa's commentary, and a further commentary and elucidation written in the light of Theosophy.(These have never been finished or printed.) To prepare the student for the mastering of that more difficult task, these lectures were designed; hence the many references to Patanjali. They may, however, also serve to give to the ordinary lay reader some idea of the Science of sciences, and perhaps to allure a few towards its study.